New fact sheets – explaining aged care fees to care recipients
It is the responsibility of approved providers to help care recipients understand the fees they will be asked to pay when they enter care.
To support providers to meet this responsibility, the department has developed three new fact sheets about aged care fees:
- understanding fees for aged care homes
- understanding fees for residential respite care
- understanding fees for home care
We recommend providers give a copy of the relevant fact sheet to new care recipients and their families when discussing fees.
Aged care diversity framework and action plans
A reminder that the Aged Care Diversity Framework and action plans are available to help providers deliver safe, inclusive and respectful care for people with diverse needs, characteristics and life experiences.
The action plans can help aged care service providers and older people address barriers faced by older:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
- lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, and intersex (LGBTI) people.
The shared action plan for providers and the government action plan set out actions to support all diverse older people.
Aged Care Centre for Growth and Translational Research (CGTR) – online consultation
A project team from Flinders University has been selected to develop a model for the future Aged Care Centre for Growth and Translational Research (CGTR), scheduled to open in 2021.
The aged care sector is encouraged to register to participate in two survey rounds to have the opportunity to identify what they would value most from the future CGTR. Please note that the first of the two surveys will be closing soon on 14 December.
Flinders University wants to hear from:
- consumers
- family and friends of consumers
- aged care providers
- education providers
- professional bodies
- advocacy organisations.
You can view a short video to learn more about this future centre, and how you can provide your own ideas and input into its design.
For more information about the centre and this consultation process, email ACCGTR@flinders.edu.au or call (08) 7221 8746.
ACFI COVID-19 Update
We are now undertaking ACFI reviews from our offices until further notice. This removes any risk of COVID-19 transmission during departmental staff visits.
We have had queries about pain management assessments to support claims under ACFI question 12.4 (b). Visit The Aged Care Funding Instrument page for details.
New fact sheet – temporary resident relocations in emergency situations
If your residential aged care service is affected by an emergency event, you may need to temporarily relocate residents to another approved service.
A new fact sheet for providers outlines how funding and resident fees operate and what providers should do when a resident needs to be temporarily relocated.
Read about service continuity and emergency events in aged care for comprehensive resources that can assist in your emergency planning.
Business Improvement Fund grants for residential aged care
Grant opportunities for the Business Improvement Fund for residential aged care have been extended to 30 April 2021.
Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) recently hosted a webinar demonstrating how to access the Business Improvement Fund. You can watch the webinar, or view the presentation slides.
Providers can apply for funds to improve business operations, support the sale of a facility to another provider, or closure where there are no other options available.
The Business Improvement Fund is designed to support small to medium providers:
- with limited access to other financial support
- facing significant pressures which may impact on care or risk service closure.
For more information visit the GrantConnect website or email queries to bif@health.gov.au.
Applications must be submitted via GrantConnect by 2:00 pm AEST on 30 April 2021.
Future arrangements for Sector Support and Development under the CHSP
In October 2019, the department engaged KPMG to conduct a review of the Sector Support and Development (SSD) Sub-Program.
Following consideration of the review’s findings, the department has agreed to extend the funding arrangements for SSD providers for a further 12-months from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. This will bring the SSD Sub-Program into line with the rest of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) Extension 2020-2022.
As part of this 12-month extension, CHSP SSD providers will need to ensure all program activities are consistent with the scope of the SSD Sub-Program, noting the review identified a range of activities currently being undertaken that fall outside the scope of SSD. Revised reporting arrangements are also expected to be required.
The department will provide further guidance in the coming weeks to help support CHSP SSD providers to identify activities that are in and out of scope.
For more information about this process, please contact your Community Grants Hub Funding Arrangement Managers.
Advice for CHSP providers - Social and Community Services (SACS) payment ending 1 July 2021
The department will increase the ongoing base funding of all eligible providers from 1 July 2021 to compensate for the loss of the Social and Community Services Supplement (SACS) payment. This will help support CHSP service providers continue to deliver aged care services to vulnerable older Australians.
All impacted CHSP service providers have now been issued with a deed of variation outlining the changes to their 2021-22 funding arrangements. We encourage CHSP service providers to review, sign and return their deed of variations by COB Friday 10 December 2020. This will give the department sufficient processing time to execute the varied agreements before the January 2021 payment.
Any delay in executing these agreements may affect the release of your organisation’s January 2021 payment.
For more information, please contact your Community Grants Hub Funding Arrangement Manager (FAM).
ELDAC Home Care Package survey
End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) provides information, guidance and resources to health professionals and aged care workers to support palliative care and advance care planning to improve the care of older Australians.
The ELDAC team is looking for care managers, coordinators, or team leaders of Home Care Package providers to complete the ELDAC Home Care Package Survey. This survey aims to understand the needs of older people living at home at the end of life.
The survey should take approximately 20 minutes and closes on Friday 18 December 2020.
If you have any queries about the survey, email simone.simonetti@uts.edu.au.